Neat and Tangled Throwdown

I wanted to use images from “Later Alligator” and “So Fly” stamp sets, and to fit all the images I decided to make a trifold card.

Let’s begin the tutorial!

First, I placed the stamps on my MISTI and stamped the images on some Canson Bristol paper using Versafine Onyx black ink.

Then, I used Zig Clean Color Real Brush markers to color all the images. The colors I used are listed in the images. You can see in the pictures a bunch of images from “Big Top Birthday” that I didn’t use in the card, but I think the alligators eating ice cream would be hilarious 🙂 Also in picture #6, you can see I the banner from “So Fly” stamp set too. Once everything was colored I die cut the images using coordinating dies.

For my card, I trimmed down a piece of Strathmore Bristol paper to 12 3/4 in X 5 1/2 in. I prefer this paper for the card because is sturdier than the one I used to stamp my images. I used MFT Cloud stencil with Tattered Rose, Dried Marigold and Scattered Straw Distress inks to get a cloudy background. I apologize because the pictures are not very good, but the background is so pretty! You can see in picture #8 I went a little bit too heavy handed with Scattered Straw on the left side, but I think it looks like the sun is right behind those clouds 🙂

To make the balloons for the alligators I used Neat and Tangled “Balloon Duo” stencil, masking the area around the stencil with some post-it tape. I used Abandoned Coral, Wild Honey and Worn Lipstick Distress inks and I tried to concentrate the color in the bottom right corner and fade it at the top left corner of the balloon, it that makes sense. I love that you can see the clouds behind the balloons! Next, I scored the card base at 4 1/4 from each side, as indicated in picture #10.

I used Neat and Tangled “Scandinavian Prints” stamp set to stamp the strings of the balloons for the alligators to hold. I stamped the sentiment as well using Versafine Onyx black ink.

I used liquid glue to adhere my images to the card and added some detail to the images using a white gel pen and used a Sakura Black Glaze pen for the eyes of the critters.

For these cards I used Neat and Tangled “Scandinavian Prints” stamp set and “Journaling Alphas” dies. I stamped the pattern on white cardstock and then die cut the words unstoppable (imparable in Spanish) from this panel and several times from black cardstock. I mounted the pattern panel on a piece of light green cardstock and inlaid the letters. The first part of the sentiment is from “Mermazing” stamp set (with some masking for the Spanish part!). I heat embossed “you are” (eres in Spanish) on white on a stripe of black cardstock and glued it on top of the inlaid word. As a final touch, I added some sequins.

The color palette and the sentiment are inspired by the colors and the motto of Josep Carreras Leukaemia Foundation. This foundation makes an incredible work to impulse all kinds of projects for the benefit of patients and science. One thing that is very important to me is being a donor. As soon as I turned 18, I became organ donor and some time later, I became bone marrow donor. For many leukaemia patients the only curative treatment is a transplant from an unrelated donor because only one in every four patients have a compatible family member.

I hope you like this project and that this post make you consider becoming a bone marrow donor. I’m adding links to the webs from USA, Canada and UK where you can read more about bone marrow donation:

I made four party elements: a banner, some candy boxes, some bottle labels and the cupcake toppers. I went for a mermaid themed party, because “Mermazing” is one of the last Neat and Tangled stamp set I got and I love it!

I knew this mermaids were going to make great cupcake toppers. I was going to buy some beautiful cupcakes to have super pretty pictures of my party decorations, but my sister suggested me to make them myself. These are my first cupcakes ever… and the result is so bad! I didn’t know using a piping bag was so hard!! I was doing it so badly I decided to spread the buttercream with a knife… and well, as you can see, these are the ugliest cupcakes ever! But I hope you like my mermaids, which I colored with alcohol markers. Note to self: practice more hair coloring and baking.

For the bottle labels I stamped the waves with white pigment ink on light blue cardstock and fussy cut the edge. I used Lawn Fawn “Stitched borders” dies to add the dotted detail. The whale is so cute!! I think it is my favorite image from the stamp set.

I made the candy boxes using a milk carton die from Sizzix. I used brown and blue cardstock and acetate. To make the sandy hills I used Lawn Fawn “Stitched hillside borders” dies and to make the wavy edge on the blue cardstock, Mama Elephant “Ocean waves trio” dies. I used my Crop-A-Dile to make the holes to thread the twine. The tag is made with Lawn Fawn “Simple puffy clouds” dies, where I stamped the girls’ names using Concord and 9th “Perfectly Penned” stamp set. I decorated the boxes with the seahorse, the fish, the starfish and the seashell.

My favorite element from this party ensemble is the banner. I used Lawn Fawn “Stitched party banners” dies on lilac and blue cardstock and made my own patterned paper stamping the little images with white pigment ink. The word “Splash!” was spelled using Neat and Tangled “Journaling alphas” dies on white cardstock.

Last, I want to show you a card I made using the same stamp set. I couldn’t take pictures of it with the rest of the party elements because I had to give it to a little girl for her birthday, but this card is the one that inspired this party ensemble.

I made a shaker card using, besides Neat and Tangled “Mermazing” stamps and dies, some patterned paper from Lawn Fawn “Let’s polka in the dark” collection and Mama Elephant “All prettied up” dies. The sequins are from Little Things from Lucy’s Cards: this is the Clear Mint Sequin Mix.

I want to thank my sister, since I’m taking part in this challenge because she encouraged me to do so. She is the best!! Always super supportive of me! I hope you like my party decorations. If you haven’t yet, go check the entries to this challenge, because they are all wonderful and very inspiring.